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Greetings to each and everyone of you.


This section for English-speaking viewers –
and all those enjoying the culture –

has developed over the months and is now offering materials of all kinds:

texts, images, poems, videos, etc.

It will continue to provide you with rich contents week after week.

 

15th Sunday of Year B – 2024

11 juillet 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Ephesians 1:3-14, forgiveness of sins, free gift, freedom, God's adopted children, Holy Spirit, hopes, peace of mind, serenity

Rich, deep, and enlightening are the words I would use to describe the text of today’s 2nd reading (Ephesians 1:3-14).
Paul is writing to the first Christians of Ephesus, and he has much to tell them – much about God and much about themselves.

Reading again this long reflection, I find it a description of who a Christian is.
The words used by the apostle Paul reveal our true nature:

      – Before the world was made, the Father chose us to live through love in his presence.
      – He made us his adopted children.
      – He gave us this as a free gift.
      – Through Jesus we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.
      – He has let us know the mystery of his plan.
      – In Christ we are claimed as God’s own, chosen from the beginning.
      – Chosen to be people who put their hopes in Christ.
      – We have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit.

As we live, from day to day, we may not often take the time to ponder this extraordinary reality.
If we did, the whole atmosphere that permeates our daily lives could be completely transformed.

Adoption by God, gift, freedom, forgiveness, hope…
More than enough to live with peace of mind, to live in serenity, relying on this God who claims us as his own,
“the Father who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven”.

 

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French, at: 15è dimanche de l’année B -2024

 

Source: Image: https://www.scripture-images.com/bible-verse/kjv/ephesians-1-3-kjv.php

World Population Day – 11 July 2024

11 juillet 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: development, education, fertility, growth, health care, lifespan, migration, planet's resources, rights of the individual, rural areas, urbanization

World Population Trends

It took hundreds of thousands of years for the world population to grow to 1 billion – then in just another 200 years or so, it grew sevenfold. In 2011, the global population reached the 7 billion mark, it stands at almost 7.9 billion in 2021, and it’s expected to grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.9 billion in 2100.

This dramatic growth has been driven largely by increasing numbers of people surviving to reproductive age, and has been accompanied by major changes in fertility rates, increasing urbanization and accelerating migration. These trends will have far-reaching implications for generations to come.

The recent past has seen enormous changes in fertility rates and life expectancy. In the early 1970s, women had on average 4.5 children each; by 2015, total fertility for the world had fallen to below 2.5 children per woman. Meanwhile, average global lifespans have risen, from 64.6 years in the early 1990s to  72.6 years in 2019.

In addition, the world is seeing high levels of urbanization and accelerating migration. 2007 was the first year in which more people lived in urban areas than in rural areas, and by 2050 about 66 per cent of the world population will be living in cities.

These megatrends have far-reaching implications. They affect economic development, employment, income distribution, poverty and social protections. They also affect efforts to ensure universal access to health care, education, housing, sanitation, water, food and energy. To more sustainably address the needs of individuals, policymakers must understand how many people are living on the planet, where they are, how old they are, and how many people will come after them.

Source: Text: https://www.iesalc.unesco.org/en/evento/world-population-day-11-july/    Image: https://indonesia.un.org/en/239134-world-population-day-11-july

On this World Population Day, let us renew our commitment to creating a world where every individual’s rights are respected, and where population growth is managed in harmony with the planet’s resources. Together, we can build a brighter future for generations to come.

Source: Text: Google

14th Sunday of Year B – 2024

5 juillet 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: curing, faith, Luke 17:19, Luke 18:42, Mark 6:1-6, Matthew 9:22, Matthew 9:27-31, power, preaching

Reading through the gospel texts, we find much to marvel at.
We see Jesus who goes from town to town, preaching, yes, but also curing all kinds of sick people.
Those afflicted with ailments and handicaps come to him to be made whole.
Jesus restores them to health.

Often, as he cured one or the other, he said to the person:
“Your faith has restored you to health”.
He said these words to the woman who was losing blood for many years (Matthew 9:22).

To the blind man of Jericho to whom he gave back his sight, Jesus said:
“Your faith has saved you” (Luke 18:42).

He said these same words to the grateful leper who returned to thank him for having cured him:
“Your faith has saved you” (Luke 17:19).

On this Sunday’s gospel text, we meet Jesus teaching in the synagogue, as he usually does on the Sabbat (Mark 6:1-6).
But we are told: “He could work no miracle there…”

What happened?
How is it that now Jesus can no longer help sick people?
Surely, his power has not suddenly disappeared!
What is preventing him from healing those in need of his intervention?

The answer comes at the end of the text:
“He was amazed at their lack of faith”.
It is astonishing, yet it seems obvious that God’s power can be limited by… our lack of faith!

There is an interesting scene where two blind men come to Jesus asking him to make them see.
Jesus asks them: “Do you believe I can do this?” (Matthew 9:27-31).
When the two men say that they do, Jesus replies:
“Your faith deserves it, so let this be done to you”.

So, we could say that a miracle depends on God’s power and… our own –
the power of our faith to enable God’s intervention.

Awesome power that is ours!
Awesome God we believe in!

 

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French, at: https://image-i-nations.com/14e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2024/

 

Source: Image: https://www.daily-prayers.org/jesus-life-stories-2/jesus-teaches-in-the-synagogue-at-capernaum-2/

13th Sunday of Year B – 2024

28 juin 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Colossians 1:15, created in the image of God, Genesis 1:27, I believe, inspired by the Spirit, tremendous reality, Wisdom 1:15-16; 2:23-24

Some texts from the Bible give us messages that are truly surprising.
The words we read, or hear during a celebration, can be really astonishing.
But it seems that somehow… we get use to the messages they give us.

Yet, it sometimes happens that we are jolted out of our routine.
We may be suddenly shaken, and deeply touched, by something that we thought we knew!

This could be the case with one verse of today’s first reading in the book of Wisdom (Wisdom 1:15-16; 2:23-24).

The text says:
“God made man (human beings) in the image of his own nature” (Wisdom 2:23).

The same thought appears in the very first book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis, which tells us:

“God created man (human beings) in the image of himself,
in the image of God he created him (human beings),
male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).

The text is well known to us but… do we realize what it truly means?
Each one of us, man and woman, is a reflection of God himself.
Something of God’s nature is part of our own human make-up.
Our humanity has been mysteriously fashioned by him to resemble who he is.

Perhaps, at this point, we need to accept this tremendous reality and to say: “I believe!”

“I believe!”
I believe that God has molded me into something similar to his own being.
I believe that God wanted to find something of himself in me,
I believe that he wanted me to resemble him –
resemble him in my being like him, inspired by his Spirit,
resemble him in being like his first Son, Christ –
the one who is the perfect image of himself (Colossians 1:15).
I believe that he knows I cannot be so on my own,
I believe he, himself, will enable me to become so… from day to day
until the day when seeing him face to face I realize… who I am… and who he is!

“I do believe!”

 

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French, at: https://image-i-nations.com/13e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2024/

 

Source: Image: Scripture images

12th Sunday of Year B – 2024

21 juin 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: asleep, being questioned by God, faith, fear, not caring, questioning God, storms

Our relationship with God can take on different aspects.
Today’s gospel text shows a rather astonishing element… that of questioning!

The scene is that of the apostles caught in a storm and their boat is nearly swamped by the waves (Mark 4:35-41).
Amazingly, Jesus is quietly sleeping through this situation.
His apostles come to wake him up with obvious insistence, asking him:

“Master, don’t you care if we drown?”

A question which has the tone of a challenge, and something of a reproach as well.
Jesus intervenes with power and authority over the forces of nature.
All is peaceful again – both wind and sea are now calm.

But then, Jesus is the one now questioning the apostles, saying:
“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Quite an amazing question in the circumstances!
Jesus had been sleeping, unaware, unconcerned, it seems, by what the apostles were faced with.
The whole episode could have turned tragic.
And he questions… their FAITH!

His friends have nothing to say in reply, but they now question… themselves about Jesus – about God.
“Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Questioning God… Being questioned by God… Questioning ourselves about God…
This may be the slow process of getting to know God… through stormy days as well as more peaceful ones.
Daring to believe that even if he seems asleep God cannot fail to keep us safe…

 

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French, at: https://image-i-nations.com/12e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2024/

Source: Image: Scripture Images

World Giraffe Day – 21 June

21 juin 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: coat patterns, facts. neck, giraffes, habitat, mammals, species, the wild

World Giraffe Day is an annual event initiated by GCF to celebrate the tallest animal on the longest day or night (depending on which hemisphere you live!) of the year – 21 June – every year!

World Giraffe Day helps raise support, create awareness and shed light on the challenges giraffe face in the wild. By supporting World Giraffe Day , you directly help save giraffe in Africa. With only approximately 117,000 giraffe remaining in the wild, the time is right to act NOW!
Five Facts about Giraffes

Fact #1:

There are four distinct species of giraffe: Northern giraffe, Southern giraffe, Reticulated giraffe and Masai giraffe.

Fact #2:

Just like human fingerprints, no two giraffe have the same coat pattern.

Fact #3:

The giraffe is the tallest mammal in the world. Even newborn giraffe are taller than most humans.

Fact #4:

Giraffe have lost almost 90% of their habitat in the last 300 years.

Fact #5:

For every four elephant, only one giraffe remains in the wild in Africa—a drop of approximately 30% in the last three and a half decades.

Source: Text & Image: https://give.giraffeconservation.org/appeal/wgd24/

World Motorcycle Day – 21 June

21 juin 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: bikers, car, fun, industry, lifestyle, motorcycle, road

World Motorcycle Day is celebrated every year on June 21 as a day to promote freedom of the road. Since June 21 is the year’s longest day, the holiday is always observed on that day. This day is dedicated to motorcycle enthusiasts and anyone else involved in the industry.

World Motorcycle Day is on June 21st, celebrating passionate bikers and the motorcycle culture from design, riding, choppers, sports bikes, adventure, racing to classic bikes. The first steam-powered motorcycle was created in 1860 by Pierre Michaux in Paris. Two decades later, the first internal combustion petroleum fueled motorcycle was made by Daimler Reitwagen in Germany.

The whole biker lifestyle began with servicemen returning from World War II who bonded over the love of motorcycles. In the early 1900s, over 300 American motorcycle companies were launched. Compact, easy to store, and fun to drive, there is no wonder why motorcycles grew as popular as cars!

 

Source: Text & Image: https://www.internationaldays.co/event/world-motorcycle-day

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought – 17 June 2024

17 juin 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: agriculture, challenges, future, irrigation, land, legacy, stewardship, technologies, weather patterns

The theme of the 2024 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, 17 June, is “United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future”, highlighting the future role of land stewardship in ensuring the stability and prosperity of billions of people around the world.

Desertification, land degradation, and drought are among the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, with up to 40 per cent of all land area worldwide already considered degraded.

Desertification and drought are being made worse by increasingly erratic and extreme weather patterns due to climate change, which puts tens of millions of people each year at risk of displacement.

To cope with an uncertain future, decision makers will need to adopt resilient water management techniques and technologies as part of a more sustainable approach to land stewardship.

  • 72% of all freshwater withdrawals are used by agriculture, 16% by industries, and 12% by municipalities. (UN-Water, 2023) 
  • Rising water stress is affecting food security and biodiversity. There are rapid changes in surface water in one fifth of river basins. (UN-Water, 2021
  • Water-harvesting and water conservation techniques could boost rainfed kilocalorie production by up to 24% and, if combined with irrigation expansion, by more than 40%. (FAO, 2020)

 

Source: Text & Image: https://www.unwater.org/news/world-day-combat-desertification-and-drought-17-june

World Day of the African Child – 16 June 2024

16 juin 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: economic challenges, education, inequality, injustice, police brutality, quality learning, sexual explitation, Sowerto South Africa

The Day of the African Child is commemorated every year on 16 June since 1991. On this day we remember black high school students who participated in the Soweto Uprising in South Africa in June 1976, when they began a series of demonstrations and protests against education injustice and inequality during the apartheid regime.  It is estimated that about 20,000 students took part in the protests. They were met with police brutality and many were shot and killed.  Thus 16 June every year is held in honour of the African child.

According to the African Union, the theme for the Day of the African Child in 2024 is “Education for all Children in Africa: the Time is Now” aligning with the African Union’s Year of Education, which focuses on building resilient education systems to ensure increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality and relevant learning in Africa.

Many children in Africa have come a long way as some have gone through abuse and exploitation just because of the need to survive and because families were economically challenged.  Thus, many children did not attend school and had to work to help boost household incomes.  People took advantage of the families’ vulnerable situations and ended up employing both children and their parents.  Also, children were involved in the worst forms of child labour with meagre pay. They were also trafficked and sexually exploited.  Some years back ANPPCAN coined a slogan, “Adults to Work and Children to School.”  This was a campaign to withdraw children from child labour and enroll them back in schools. 

 

Source: Text: /in      Image: africanchildrenfund.org

 

11th Sunday of Year B – 2024

14 juin 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: explanations, friend, Holy Spirit, homily, Jesus' presence, John 14:26, Mark 4:26-34, neighbor, parables

The readings of our celebrations are many and they are rich in what they offer us.
The third reading – the gospel – brings us to Jesus himself, what he said and what he did.
Today’s last verse of the gospel has a message for us.
It tells us that Jesus spoke to his listeners in parables meant to make his words understood by them (Mark 4:26-34).

But this verse adds:
“When he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything to them”.

We may be tempted to envy them!
They lived daily in the presence of the Master.
He was there, always ready to explain his message to them and answer their questions.
When they failed to understand something that he had taught, they could ask him to speak about this again.

Yet… he is also with us…
Oh, not visible, of course, and his voice cannot be heard as yours and mine can be.
But his presence is no less real.
And we also have been given his promise –
the promise that his Spirit will remind us of what he said and make us understand his message (John 14:26).

Perhaps, what is needed is for us to take the time –
the time to sit quietly and listen again…

Listen to his words in the Bible…
Go for a walk in nature and listen to what he will silently inspire us…
Sit in our favorite corner of the garden where we can be by ourselves and remember what he told us already…

The remark of a neighbor…
A conversation with a friend…
The text of a book…
A priest’s homily…

All of these can be the way the Spirit will reach us today, and tomorrow, and…
And, suddenly, Christ’s message will take on a new meaning… an inspiration… for now, and later!

 

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French, at: https://image-i-nations.com/11e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2024/https://image-i-nations.com/11e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2024/

 

Source: Images: Scripture Images One Walk / With Jesus